Thursday, August 2, 2007 - 10:00 AM
S158
Marine Extremophiles – Promising Avenues for Biotechnology Exploitation
Dorothee Klara Gotz, Kimberley McKendrick, and Andrew Mearns-Spragg. Aquapharm Biodiscovery, European Centre for Marine Biotechnology, Dunstaffnage, Oban, United Kingdom
Diverse and thriving communities of microorganisms are found in seemingly inhospitable places such as acidic and alkaline hot springs, heavy metal contaminated soils, the deep-sea and at near saturation salt concentrations. These microbes have evolved to cope with a wide range of hostile circumstances and there is plenty of scope to exploit these specialised traits for biotechnology. The most visible impact of extremophile biotechnology is seen with the discovery and development of novel enzymes for use in molecular biology. For example, the discovery of thermostable polymerases has allowed modern molecular biology to advance at a rate that would not have been possible without the discovery of these thermostable enzymes. There are nevertheless many other fields where extremophiles and their capabilities can be exploited, from bioremediation over diagnostics and chemical synthesis to industrial processes. The isolation and characterization of novel microbes from extreme habitats, the identification of novel metabolites and cell compounds lie at the core of further development. These developments can be further enhanced by innovative screening approaches, rational design and recombinant technologies. Extremophiles have a big role to play in delivering clean, sustainable and safe technologies in the future.
See more of Environmental Microbiology: Commercialization of extremophiles
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See more of The Annual Meeting and Exhibition 2007 (July 29 - August 2, 2007)
See more of Invited Oral Papers
See more of The Annual Meeting and Exhibition 2007 (July 29 - August 2, 2007)